Facebook is probably the biggest enigma in social media. While everyone is on it and familiar with the basics of usage, leveraging it to build a brand is what stumps everyone. With changes to how Facebook operates over the past year, it has gotten harder and harder to build an audience on facebook.

The most important message to take away from this post is interaction. In the age of social media, "fans", "followers" and "friends" expect some sort of personal interaction. That connection doesn't have to be big, but even a small "thanks" on a post will keep folks coming back.

Before you can interact with fans, there have to be fans. This goes back to the subtitle, "Tips to Promote Your Facebook". This seems to be the area where even social media experts struggle. Here are some tips, but keep in mind that it takes a combination of this and more to keep growing your Facebook page.

This is a simple start. It may not garner you hundreds of followers, but it is a first step. If your email contacts all see your Facebook URL in your email signature it speaks to them that this may be an effective way of communicating. They may not even know you have a Facebook page.

Years ago I put my twitter handle in my signature. It has led a lot of people to follow me who otherwise it wouldn't have occurred to.

Remember, make this one of the primary focuses of your signature. If your signature is 15 lines long, it will get lost. Try simplifying your signature to just your name, phone number and Facebook URL. Make the URL an actual link if possible. This is a good time to note that your Facebook URL should be personalized if it isn't already. (I tried to find a link to show you how to do this, but none of them were current. That'll be a future blog post)

Obviously, this all applies if you put the URL on your business cards as well. The effect isn't quite as strong because there isn't a handy link taking them right there. One way around that is to put a QR Code on your business card that does that. It also makes you appear very tech-savvy which is great if you're a tech-oriented business.

2. Tag other popular pages and people in your posts.

Obviously, don't do this just for the sake of it. When another person or page is relevant to your post, always tag them rather than just mention them.

To tag, you type the @ symbol followed by the name in your post.

This helps leverage that person's or page's fans and friends. All their fans will then see your post and as a result see your page. The effect is pretty obvious; more people see your page.

3. Put on all your print ads.

To me, this is a no-brainer. I always reiterate this to my clients, but still stuff goes out without a "Follow Me on Facebook" mention. When I say "all your print ads", I mean every piece of paper that leaves your office. After all, isn't your letterhead just another version of your business card?

Think about what all leaves your office. Do you have pamphlets? As a politician, I'm sure you're sending out various mail pieces and other literature.

What about traditional media? Newspaper? TV? Radio Interviews? How hard is it to drop a little line in a radio interview? Never miss the opportunity, ever.

4. Make it quality.

If the quality of your posts aren't quality, people will stop interacting or even unlike your page. If your quality is top-tier they will come back OR better yet, share the posts. That is the holy grail. If you get shares, the friends of your fans will see it and potentially become a new like.

The power of the market is in full force on Facebook. The cream rises to the top. The top quality gets increased demand, the crappy stuff fades away.

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And...it all goes back to interaction! The more all those Facebook people interact with your page, the more your page will show up in their newsfeed. It's a vicious cycle we all love so much. The great thing is it doesn't rely so much on quantity as quality. That is NOT permission to be lazy, but well-timed high-performance posts will pay off much more than 700 pictures of yesterday's lunch.

In the end, isn't that the goal anyway? The reason we want all these followers is to have an audience to talk to. Let's just not forget the listening part when they talk back.

Let's be honest, websites are a great idea. They give your voters (or customers) a place to learn about you. They'll be looking for information and they can find it quickly on your site.

Websites are a great idea, but most people don't really know how to engage their site visitors. Everyone wants a website, but few are willing to put forth the effort to maintain their site. When I say maintain, I don't mean the occasional look over to make sure everything is current.

Maintaining a site means real work and commitment. It means actively looking for fresh content and tweaks to keep visitors revisiting.

The idea of a website is great, but most people stop there. Few are willing to take on the heavy lifting of a blog on their website. Blogs mean real work, real commitment.

Many campaigns, businesses and non-profits seek to have a website just to say they have one. Don't you want yours to be more than that? As an elected official, don't you want to take your service to the next level and be constantly in touch with your constituents? You're doing a lot of great things for your community, but people don't know it. Press releases may or may not get attention, so why not do your own publishing?

An effective blog could become the primary source of news for voters or others wanting to know what's happening. Sure, you should still send out those press releases, but your blog could also be a way to inform your district and the media of what's going on.

Here are some tips for blog posts:

Make it worth sharing

In my experience dealing with constituents and voters, they want to know about you, but more importantly they want to know what you're working on. Write about topics which are relevant (current issues) and offer additional information about them. Media can cover stories, but they cannot give the insight you do.

With state and local government, quality information is hard to find. Offer your readers information they cannot find in the newspapers. Treat your blog like a public service. More and more people are looking online for their news. If you treat your blog like another news source, people will keep coming back to learn about what's going on. If you hit on a real hot-button issue, you're bound to get some shares which will only increase traffic.

Plan your posts

If you commit to a blog, treat it like a part time job. That means when one post is finished, you're working on the next one. You're writing ideas down as they come to you, you're researching your topics. I suggest keeping a calendar of planned posts and make deadlines on when you want them up. A good target is one per week for beginners.

Set perimeters

Keep your blog limited to a specific area. Readers like to have some idea of what they're getting when they visit your blog. In other words, specialize in one area. Develop a respected expertise in an area and readers will learn to rely on you for information in that field. If you're elected, limit it to topics that concern your office. That's not to say the occasional venture out is totally prohibited. It is okay to share things you believe your readers would enjoy.

Mind your P's and Q's

Present a polished product. Any sense that you're a complete amateur could drive away readers. Be sure to read and reread. Revise and edit. Watch your grammar and spelling. A poor product is difficult to read. It requires more work on behalf of the reader and will quickly turn off even the most committed followers. If you're unsure of your writing skills, always ask someone to proof it.

Also keep in mind that just because a sentence is grammatically correct doesn't mean it will always make sense to your reader. If you read the article out loud to yourself it will help you find those spots where something may be confusing.

Last, be mindful of jargon. Jargon is any word or phrase that is used by "insiders" which a lay person would not be privy to. A prime example of this is "DESE". Anyone who has worked in Missouri State Government knows what it means, but others might not know that it stands for the "Department of Elementary and Secondary Education".

______________________Hopefully, these tips will serve as a guideline to follow as you begin to blog. Keep in mind that when you're using a professional media consultant, you won't be completely on your own. Your consultant can definitely help guide you and offer valuable suggestions. Visit our related articles for more information.

Be on the cutting edge with your marketing. Text marketing (or mobile campaigns) allow you a direct link to your customer or voter.

Unlike traditional means of marketing such as direct mail, TV, radio or newspaper, texting goes directly to the individual regardless of where they are and even alerts them!

Here are a few reasons why you should be texting now:

1. People never leave home without their cell phone. Texting allows you to speak directly to your customer. It is the most direct marketing link there is.

2. You will only reach those with the most positive relationship with you. Since texting requires an opt-in, you are reaching out to those who already have a significant interest in you.

3. Sending a text is immediate. With other forms of marketing, time lags while you wait to go to print, mail a piece or someone reads their email. The text is received instantly. Don't believe me? TEXT 123 to 68398 to find out how quick the response time is. Don't worry! You aren't signing up for future texts.

4. Texting through Red Tusk Media, is a VERY affordable way to get your message out compared to other forms of advertising.

5. Over 90% of all texts are read within 15 minutes of being received.

6. Allows you to provide additional info beyond other means of advertising. A yard sign can only say so much, but with a "Text for more info" option, your phone number and a link to your website can be available to a customer as long as they save their text.

7. Modern folks plain expect it. Many people look for a texting option. It offers them a way to feel constantly connected to you. In the days of social media, constant connection is the norm.

What are you waiting for? If you're reading this, chances are you're already behind the times. The options for texting are so numerous and can be used for so many different types of businesses. If you've been thinking about it and want to discuss it further, contact Jonathan now!